This work consisted in determining the geotechnical properties of the soil of the Cubitermes termite mound soil treated with lime for use in road construction in accordance with the relevant standards. The raw soil is composed of 29.45% clay, 45.12% silt and 25.43% sand, and its granulometric curve is above the relevant standard curve. The addition of lime up to 9% decreases the fine fraction content from 75% to 60%, and the maximum dry density from 1.62 t/m 3 to 1.36 t/m 3. The reduction of the fine fraction should reduce the soil sensitivity to water, and the emission of dust from the road. The compressive strength of the raw soil (3.89 MPa) is higher than that of most cohesive soil, and is probably one the causes of the longevity of the rural road paved with this soil. Treated soil with 6% in lime content has the highest compressive strength (5.95 MPa), and the lowest deformation at failure. Until 28 days, the improvement of the compressive upon the curing time is almost the same for untreated and treated termite mound soils. Thus, this improvement could be mostly attributed to the drying of the samples instead to the pozzolanic reactions. Besides, adding lime also enhances the shear strength of soil. Therefore, adding lime up to 6% in content to the termite mound soil should improve its behavior as surface roads.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.